Senior Saudi Delegation Visits Cooperative

As the first of cooperative societies in the United Arab Emirates, Sharjah Cooperative hosted a senior delegation from Saudi Arabia that wished to get acquainted with modern cooperative practice, learn from its expertise as a pioneering cooperative in retail sales, here on a mission study launching the first cooperative in Al Dhahran in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia.

The delegation comprised HE Salem bin Rashid Al Merry, president of the founding committee of Al Dhahran Cooperative Society, and HE Ali Al Ajamy, vice president, HE Khaled Abu Bsheet, HE Saad Al Qahtani, and HE Ali Al Rabea, members of the founding committee.

The delegation was received by HE Saeed Sultan Al Suweidi, board chairman, HE Abdulrahman Al Jarwan, Sharjah Ruler’s Court Advisor, HE Waleed Al Mansouri, vice chairman of the board, HE Saleh Al Qabid, board member, HE Majid Al Jeneid, Sharjah Cooperative’s general manager, Hassan Al Souqi, purchases department manager, and Issa Jalal, Marketing and Contracts department manager.

HE Saeed Al Suweidi briefed the delegation on the Cooperative’s march since its founding in 1977 and the achievements it has with the support of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qassimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and the follow up of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohmmad bin Sultan Al Qassimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and he reviewed the Cooperative’s projects under way or study.

The Cooperative’s management organized a tour of the branches for the delegation on the second day of their visit, starting with Al Qarayyen branch, the biggest of the branches, where the delegation was received by department managers and staff in a warm atmosphere, and they were introduced to the different sections in the branch and its various leased shops, banks, government and federal entities that have a presence their. The delegation expressed their intense admiration of the modern décor and design and the sections that had been added recently.

The delegation then headed to Al Suweihat branch that has had the most refurbishment, and the they were welcomed by staff with Emirati coffee and sweets, and taken on a tour of the new sections such as ready meals, grill section, expanded bakery and deli, and were shown have meat are cut and prepared for the grill section.

The tour came to a conclusion and the delegation headed back to the head office and were introduced to the different departments and the usual course of work at the auditing, finance, purchases, operations, information technology and human resources and administration departments, shareholders and media section.

Several meetings where held with the department managers separately, whereby each manager presented an overview of his department and discussed the essential rules and regulations for the cooperatives, creating and furnishing branches and styles of display, organizational hierarchies, employing new staff, pricing policies and promotions, advantages for shareholders and loyalty schemes.

HE Majid Al Jeneid expressed his joy and pride for Sharjah Cooperative being chosen as a commercial model to gain expertise from for starting a cooperative society in Al Dhahran, and he assured providing all brothers with the Cooperative’s full support.

HE Salem Al Merry, president of the founding committee of the project, offered his deep thanks and gratitude to the Cooperative’s board and its senior management for their warm welcome and the valuable expertise presented during their visit, and hoped to hold more meetings in the future and invited the Cooperative’s management to visit Al Dhahran to strengthen the relationship of cooperation.

The Al Dhahran Cooperative Society had attained the ministry of social affairs’ approval for going public, and planned to start its cooperative work in the retail sale of consumer commodities, as well as in education and agriculture. It is expected for their general assembly to convene in the first quarter of this year.